ANCHORS

Scott Simon

Photo: Will O’Leary

Scott Simon is one of America’s most admired writers and broadcasters. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.

His radio show, NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, has been called by the Washington Post, “the most literate, witty, moving, and just plain interesting news show on any dial,” and by Brett Martin of Time-Out New York “the most eclectic, intelligent two hours of broadcasting on the airwaves.” Scott has won every major award in broadcasting, including the Peabody, the Emmy, the Columbia-DuPont, the Ohio State Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the Sidney Hillman Award. He received the Presidential End Hunger Award for his coverage of the Ethiopian civil war and famine, and a special citation from the Peabody Awards for his weekly essays, which were cited as “consistently thoughtful, graceful, and challenging.” He has also received the Barry M. Goldwater Award from the Human Rights Fund. Recently, he was awarded the Studs Terkel Award.

Maria Hinojosa

Maria Hinojosa

For 25 years, Maria Hinojosa has helped tell America’s untold stories and brought to light unsung heroes in America and abroad. In April 2010, Hinojosa launched The Futuro Media Group with the mission to produce multiplatform, community-based journalism that respects and celebrates the cultural richness of the American Experience. She is currently reporting for “Frontline” on immigration detention.

As the anchor and managing editor of her own long-running weekly NPR show, Latino USA, and anchor of the Emmy Award winning talk show Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One from WGBH/ La Plaza, Hinojosa has informed millions of Americans about the fastest growing group in our country. Previously, a Senior Correspondent for NOW on PBS, and currently, a contributing Correspondent for Need to Know, Hinojosa has reported hundreds of important stories — from the immigrant work camps in NOLA after Katrina, to teen girl victims of sexual harassment on the job, to Emmy award winning stories of the poor in Alabama. Her investigative journalism presses the powerful for the truth while giving voice to lives and stories that illuminate the world we live in. Hinojosa has won top honors in American journalism including 2 Emmy’s, the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Reporting on the Disadvantaged, and the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club for best documentary for her groundbreaking “Child Brides: Stolen Lives.” In 2009, Hinojosa was honored with an AWRT Gracie Award for Individual Achievement as Best TV correspondent. In 2010 she was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by DePaul University in Chicago, as well as the Sidney Hillman Prize honoring her social and economic justice reporting.

Ray Suarez

Ray Suarez

Ray Suarez joined The NewsHour in October 1999 as a Washington-based Senior Correspondent.

Suarez has more than thirty years of varied experience in the news business. He came to The NewsHour from National Public Radio where he had been host of the nationwide, call-in news program “Talk of the Nation” since 1993. Prior to that, he spent seven years covering local, national, and international stories for the NBC-owned station, WMAQ-TV in Chicago.

He is the author most recently of a book examining the tightening relationship between religion and politics in America, “The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America.” Suarez also wrote “The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration” (Free Press), and has contributed to several other books, including “What We See” (New Village Press, 2010), “How I Learned English” (National Geographic, 2007), “Brooklyn: A State of Mind” (Workman, 2001), “Local Heroes” (Norton, 2000), “Saving America’s Treasures” (National Geographic, 2000), and “Las Christmas” (Knopf, 1998). Suarez currently hosts the monthly radio program “America Abroad” for Public Radio International, and the weekly politics program “Destination Casa Blanca” for Hispanic Information Telecommunications Network, HITN TV.

Earlier in his career, Suarez was a Los Angeles correspondent for CNN, a producer for the ABC Radio Network in New York, a reporter for CBS Radio in Rome, and a reporter for various American and British news services in London. Over the years he has narrated, anchored or reported many documentaries for public radio and television including the nationally-broadcast “Anatomy of a Pandemic” (2009, PBS) and “Jerusalem: The Center of the World” (2009, PBS), a weekly series, “Follow the Money” (1997, PBS), and programs including “Yesterday” (2006, WETA), “Who Speaks for Islam?” (LinkTV, 2005, 2009), “By The People” (PBS, 2004-07), “The Journey Home” (2004, WETA), “The Execution Tapes” (2001, Public Radio) and “Through Our Own Eyes” (2000, KQED). He is the host of the monthly foreign affairs program “America Abroad,” heard on Public Radio International stations nationwide, and around the world on NPR Worldwide. He also hosts the weekly program on Latino politics, Destination Casa Blanca for HITN-TV.

Jeff Greenfield

Jeff Greenfield

Jeff Greenfield, a veteran political, media and culture reporter and analyst, has spent more than thirty years on network television. He most recently served as CBS Senior Political Correspondent.

Prior to his return to CBS News, Greenfield had been senior analyst for CNN since 1998. During that time, he served as its lead analyst for its coverage of the primaries, conventions, presidential debates and election nights, as well as presidential funerals and Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Greenfield also has reported on the media, culture and trends for the cable network.

Though the five-time Emmy winner’s reporting has taken him to locales around the world from South Africa to Japan to Europe, he is principally known for his coverage of domestic politics and media. He has served as a floor reporter or anchor booth analyst for every national convention since 1988. He has twice been named to TV Guide’s All-Star team as best political commentator and was cited by the Washington Journalism Review as “the best in the business” for his media analysis.

Before joining CNN, Greenfield was a political and media analyst for ABC News (1983-97), appearing primarily on “Nightline” and delivering weekly commentaries for “World News” Sunday.

Previously, he was the media commentator for CBS News (1979-83). Greenfield has also has appeared on William F. Buckley’s “Firing Line” and PBS’ “We Interrupt This Week.” He was the anchor of PBS’ “CEO Exchange,” a limited-run series, for five seasons.

Greenfield, a native of New York City, graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin, where he was editor-in-chief of The Daily Cardinal. He is an honors graduate of the Yale Law School, where he was a Note and Comment Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Following law school, Greenfield worked as a speechwriter in the Senate office and in the 1968 Presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy. He then worked as chief speechwriter for New York Mayor John Lindsay.

Greenfield spent seven years with famed political consultant David Garth, and wrote books and magazine articles as well.

His work has appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s and National Lampoon. Greenfield is the author or co-author of 12 books. His first novel, “The People’s Choice (1995),” was a national bestseller and was named by The New York Times Book Review as one of the notable books of the year. “Oh, Waiter, One Order of Crow (2001),” is an insider’s account of the contested 2000 presidential election. His most recent book “Then Everything Changed; Stunning Alternate Histories of American Politics” was published in March, 2011.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Marc Rosenwasser

Marc Rosenwasser has produced network television news for more than 25 years. Most recently, he was a senior producer for “CBS Evening News.” During a 16-year tenure at NBC News, Marc served as executive editor of “Dateline,” executive producer of “Tom Brokaw Reports” from 2001 to 2006 and senior broadcast producer of “Dateline” from 1994 to 2001. He spent seven years as a writer and producer at ABC News and more than seven years at The Associated Press, where he was a correspondent in Moscow for more than two years. Marc is a recipient of 23 Emmy Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards, a Peabody Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Need to Know is a production of Creative News Group (CNG) in association with WNET. Marc Rosenwasser is Executive Producer. Need to Know is made possible by Bernard and Irene Schwartz, Mutual of America, Citi Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.